Graduate Student Award for Service Projects that Enhance the Public Good

Objective

The relationship between graduate education and the public good is currently receiving increased attention and promotion by several national organizations including the Council of Graduate Schools.

This award is designed to encourage and recognize graduate student service projects at ETSU that enhance the public good, broadly defined as service to the community or university.

Award Details

One award is given out each year.

The award consists of a plaque and a monetary honorarium of $250.00.

Eligibility

Service must have "promoted the public good" not for personal or financial gain.

Common examples include defense, law enforcement, environmental goods, health promotion, counseling, support services, public education, global needs, humanitarian aid, public history projects, and information management.

Service should be directly related to the graduate student's educational experience at ETSU.

No paid services may be considered.

Service effort must have occurred during the student's graduate tenure at ETSU.

Students may receive this award only once.

Nominations

The student is nominated by an ETSU graduate faculty member using the nomination form.

Although individual departments may wish to develop their own nomination procedures, all nominations for the award must be routed through and approved by the Department Chair.

All nomination materials must be sent to Associate Dean Karin Bartoszuk either by email at bartoszu@etsu.edu
or by mail at the following address:

Application Packet

A letter of nomination from the Graduate Coordinator that includes a description of the service project, and it must be cosigned by the Department Chair.

All nominees are required to submit a service portfolio that includes the following information:

A service philosophy statement written by the student.

A letter from the nominee describing the service including the time and/or level of commitment required to complete nomination project(s).

Note: The letter may include any additional service activities (ex. ETSU sponsored projects) that are not directly related to the nominee's program of study.

Two letters of endorsement that address the significance of the impact of service(s) performed.

One from the supervisor of the services performed.

One from anyone in the community who has had an opportunity to observe the performance of the service.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is March 1st each year.

Decisions should be reached by the first week of April.

A committee of one Graduate School dean, two Graduate Council members, and two regular full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members with graduate status will evaluate the applications.

Grant recipients will be notified through a letter from the School of Graduate Studies. Notification will occur by the beginning of April. Copies of the letter will be sent to their advisory committee chair and their departmental chair. An award ceremony will be held later in April to recognize award recipients.